Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger to step down

On September 25, 2026, the Blockchain Association announced that CEO Summer Mersinger will step down on October 16, 2026, following the legislative failure of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in the U.S. Senate. Former CEO Kristin Smith, who currently serves as president of the Solana Policy Institute, will return to lead the advocacy group as interim CEO on October 17, 2026. Mersinger, a former CFTC commissioner, led the group during the passage of the landmark GENIUS Act in July 2025.

Summer Mersinger's tenure as Chief Executive Officer

• ▪Blockchain Association Chief Executive Officer Summer Mersinger will step down from her role on October 16, 2026, and remain as an advisor until the end of 2026
• ▪Summer Mersinger joined the Blockchain Association as Chief Executive Officer in June 2025 after leaving her position as a commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Kristin Smith's roles at the Blockchain Association

• ▪SPI communications director Emily Wilson said Kristin Smith will maintain her current role as president of the Solana Policy Institute while serving as interim Chief Executive Officer of the Blockchain Association
• ▪Kristin Smith previously served as the original Chief Executive Officer of the Blockchain Association from its launch in 2018 until June 2025, while retaining her role as board president
• ▪Kristin Smith will return to the Blockchain Association as interim Chief Executive Officer on October 17, 2026, following the departure of Summer Mersinger

Failure of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act

• ▪The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act failed to advance in the U.S. Senate after failing to secure enough votes from Democrats and some Republicans in a cloture motion in September 2026
• ▪The legislative failure of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in the Senate is expected by experts to leave the legislation stalled until 2027

Summer Mersinger's legislative achievements

• ▪The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act was signed into law in July 2025 during Summer Mersinger's tenure at the Blockchain Association
• ▪The Blockchain Association credited Summer Mersinger with helping to advance the GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, and working toward regulatory clarity at the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Debatable claims

• ▪Kristin Smith should step down from the Solana Policy Institute while leading the Blockchain Association
• ▪The Blockchain Association's leadership bears responsibility for the failure of the Clarity Act
• ▪Hiring former regulators is the most effective strategy for cryptocurrency advocacy groups